Thursday, 27 October 2016

With Halloween just around the corner it's time to decorate the house for the inevitable kids party and for them to decide which horrific creation they want to be. As it turns out things are quite tame this year, my 5yr old son wants to be Harry Potter and my 3yr old is happy to follow suit as Hermione.

They both adore dressing up and acting out pretty much every character under the sun, from Marvel & DC superheroes to Star Wars/Trek, Indiana Jones etc - you name it they'll be it! Having said that my son frightens easily and if he sees someone else dressed up (especially if they're wearing a mask) or the slightest sign of peril in a film or cartoon you'll probably find him hiding behind the sofa in the very best Kids vs. Doctor Who tradition.

To help him along I try to break down the mechanisms of film making so that he can see that what he sees on screen is actually all make believe and that monsters/aliens/giant marauding insects aren't real and are in fact actors in suits or computer-generated effects, or in the case of a DevCon event, geeks (not meant as derogatory as I class myself as one!) dressed up in Cosplay heaven (we almost had to leave the recent Plymouth one before we even got in due to an over-friendly Predator)!

We have toyed with stop-motion animation before but after introducing them to Star Trek for the first time we decided to make our own short film. The kids were both involved in deciding on the basic plot and script and we went through the process of rehearsals and different takes. I showed them how scenes weren't always shot in order and how to set up compositions to allow for (extremely basic in this case!) special effects. I didn't involve them in the edit for this one but cut it together quickly so they could watch it as soon as possible, and it was amazing to see their reaction to the finished piece compared to the individual shots they reviewed whilst filming.

And here's the result:

I really do think it was an incredibly worthwhile exercise and has really opened their eyes to becoming participant rather than passive viewers and the more of these we make (of course there will be more...) and the more they get involved with the process I hope the more they will understand about how to read media, which is so important in this day and age.

Subscribe To

About Me

I specialise in providing a professional, customer-focussed video
production and photography service covering a range of requirements to
fulfil your specific needs. I will ensure that as a client you are
offered the very best dedicated and personalised management of your
brief, utilising the appropriate tools to fully realise your goals,
providing a high-quality expertly polished finish, whether destined for
Web, DVD, Blu-Ray or Print.

I am a filmmaker with over 15 years experience, working on a wide diversity of productions and in different capacities, from directing and producing (end to end production management) to cameraman and editor.

I am based in Gunnislake, on the Devon and Cornwall border close to Plymouth, which is inside the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is an amazingly inspirational place to live. Close to both the sea and Dartmoor and with urban areas ranging from small rural villages to bustling city centres I am simply spoilt for choice location wise.

I presently lecture as a Technical Demonstrator in Film & Media at a local Higher Education institute, and have done for eleven years, allowing me to stay current with the very latest technologies and industry advancements, of which I will always use the appropriate tools to provide the highest quality product that I can for you - now including stunning 4K capabilities.

In addition to client briefs my personal work incorporates and experiments with a range of less sophisticated technology, where I use everything from Super 8mm cinefilm to smartphone cameras to achieve something a little bit more interesting.

I have a number of professional qualifications and accreditations and am fully CRB cleared. I also have a recognised adult teaching qualification and offer bespoke training courses covering all aspects of film/video production and photography.